1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cassette loading apparatus and, more particularly, to a cassette loading apparatus, used for a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus such as a video tape recorder (to be referred to as a VTR hereinafter), for driving a tape cassette in a substantially horizontal state and loading it to a tape driving portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cassette loading apparatus used for a recent VTR is generally designed such that when a tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder in a substantially horizontal state, the front loading mechanism is operated to move the cassette holder to a position above the tape driving portion, and the tape cassette, which is lowered and held, is loaded to the tape driving portion. In this case, the cassette cover of the tape cassette is opened, and the tape extract members of the tape loading mechanism are moved inside the tape. In this state, the tape loading mechanism is driven to perform tape loading.
In ejection of the tape cassette, an unloading operation is performed to move the cassette out of the cassette holder by performing a reverse operation to the above-described loading operation.
Such a cassette loading apparatus is inevitably required to ensure high-precision operation control and to simplify manufacturing/assembly steps with a simple arrangement.
An error protection device is a device which can realize the above-described cassette loading apparatus. When a tape cassette is inserted in the cassette holder but the inserted tape cassette is removed by a user at substantially the same time that loading is started, the error protection device detects this removal of the tape cassette, and restores the cassette holder to the original tape insertion position. More specifically, this error protection device includes a detecting means which is arranged at a predetermined position on the moving path of the cassette holder so as to detect whether a cassette detecting member formed on the cassette holder is operated or not. The error detection device controls a reverse operation of the front loading mechanism in response to detection of the detecting means so as to restore the cassette holder to the cassette insertion position in the course of loading.
In the conventional error protection device, however, the following problem has been posed due to its arrangement. Once a loading operation is started, it takes a considerably long period of time to perform slot-out by reversing the front loading mechanism so as to restore the cassette holder to the original cassette insertion position upon detection of the absence of a tape cassette. This causes a user to perform an erroneous operation or the like in the course of an error protection operation.
As described above, in the conventional cassette loading apparatus, when a tape cassette is removed after loading of the cassette holder is started, a user tends to cause an operation error or the like because ejection of the cassette holder takes an excessively long period of time.